A Steam Cleaner With A Secondary Heating Means

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a steam cleaner with a secondary heating means in addition to a primary heating means. Said primary heating means can produce water steam with temperature about 100° C., said secondary heating means can further heat the water steam produced by said primary heating means to a high temperature from 100° C. to 350° C. The steam cleaner of the present invention is easily operated, and the clean effect is better.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of CN Patent Application No. 200520060530.1 filed on Jun. 22, 2005, entitled “A Steam Cleaner with a Secondary Heating Means”, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This invention relates to a high-temperature steam cleaner, and in particular to a high-temperature steam cleaner with a secondary heating means.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the existing market, a steam cleaning device, such as a steam dust collector, a steam cleaner, cleans articles such as a carpet, a sofa or clothing by high-temperature steam generated. If the carpet, sofa or clothing to be cleaned is stained with fat dirt, the fat will not change to liquid state till the temperature is up to 350° C. Generally, a steam cleaner produces high-temperature steam by the heater disposed therein. In the prior art, a steam cleaner adopts only a primary heating means, such as by a boiler. Due to the restriction by atmospheric pressure, the temperature of the steam produced can hardly exceed 100° C. The heat produced by the boiler merely provides the energy for changing the water from liquid to gaseous state, but it can not further increase the temperature of water steam. Although some steam cleaners have pressurized means in addition to the primary heating means, for example, steam over 100° C. may be produced by a pressurized boiler, the configuration thereof is complex, and there exists safety problem due to high pressure. For example, at the temperature of 120° C., saturation vapor pressure of water is equal to two standard atmospheres, while at the temperature of 140° C., it is equal to 3.6 standard atmospheres. Since the increase of the pressure is restricted, the increase of the steam temperature is also limited. According to actual test, steam temperature never exceeds 110° C. It is shown from biological studies that, in order to kill the bacillus such as Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus etc., the temperature must exceed 125° C., therefore, such devices with only primary heating means has limited effect, which can not clean out the fat dirt, can not kill the bacillus such as Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus etc.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The object of the present invention is to solve the problems existing in above-mentioned steam cleaner with only primary heating means, in said steam cleaner with only primary heating means, steam is either produced by an ordinary boiler wherein the steam temperature is too low, or steam is produced by a pressurized boiler wherein the configuration of the device is rather complicated, the pressure is too high and the steam temperature is rather low, so that, the present invention is to provide a steam cleaner with a secondary heating means, which can produce steam over 100° C. to clean out the fat dirt, kill the bacillus such as Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus etc. The steam cleaner of the present invention is easily operated, and the clean effect is rather good.

The technical scheme of the present invention is as follows:

A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means, comprising a housing, a water tank with an inlet, a flow channel for liquid or gaseous water including a first pipeline, a second pipeline, a third pipeline and a fourth pipeline, a water pumping means, a primary heating means, a secondary heating means and a steam nozzle;

Wherein the free end of said first pipeline extends into said water tank, the other end of said first pipeline connects to the intake of said pumping means, cold water contained in said water tank enters into said pumping means via said free end of said first pipeline;

Wherein the outlet of said pumping means connects to the intake of said primary heating means via said second pipeline, said primary heating means can heat water and generate steam with temperature from 95° C. to 100° C.;

Wherein the outlet of said primary heating means connects to the intake of said secondary heating means via said third pipeline, said secondary heating means can further heat the steam with temperature from 95° C. to 100° C. produced by said primary heating means, and produce high-temperature steam over 100° C.; and

Wherein the outlet of said secondary heating means connects to the intake of said steam nozzle via said fourth pipeline, the steam produced is ejected from said steam nozzle.

All of said water tank, first pipeline, second pipeline, third pipeline and fourth pipeline, pumping means, primary heating means, secondary heating means and steam nozzle are disposed inside said housing.

Said primary heating means or secondary heating means is one of a tubular heater, a boiler, electrical heating film or a semi-conductor heater.

Said pumping means is an electromagnetic pump.

Said steam cleaner is either a hand-held dust collector or standing dust collector.

Said secondary heating means is disposed in adjacent to a suction nozzle of said dust collector.

Equipped with a primary heating means and a secondary heating means, in the steam cleaner with a secondary heating means of the present invention, when liquid water flows through primary heating means, the heat produced by the primary heating means causes phase transition of the water from liquid water to steam. Since the temperature for phase transition is 100° C. under one atmosphere pressure, in the primary heating means, water steam with the temperature of 100° C. can be produced, and the temperature of water steam will not increase further. Due to fluctuation of the atmosphere pressure, the temperature of the water steam in the primary heating means is around 100° C.

When water steam with the temperature of around 100° C. is further heated by the secondary heating means, the temperature of the water steam is increased gradually from 100° C. up to 350° C. Since both ends of the flow channel communicate with atmosphere, the pressure of liquid water or water steam in the whole flow channel is equal to the atmospheric pressure. Since the amount of water steam ejected from the steam nozzle is little, it can clean fat dirt, kill the bacillus such as Escherichia coli, staphylococcus aureus, without damaging the carpet, sofa or clothing to be cleaned. The steam cleaner of the present invention is easily operated, and the clean effect is rather good.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a hand-held steam dust collector according to one embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will be described in details with reference to the accompanying drawing and embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a hand-held steam dust collector comprises a housing, a water tank 1 with an inlet, a flow channel for liquid or gaseous water including a first pipeline 81, a second pipeline 82, a third pipeline 83 and a fourth pipeline 84, a water pumping means 2, a primary heating means 4, a secondary heating means 6 and a steam nozzle 7.

Wherein, said pumping means 2 is an electromagnetic pump. A heating tube 3 is disposed in said primary heating means 4, and a heating tube 5 is disposed in said secondary heating means 6.

Cold water contained in said water tank 1 enters into said pumping means 2 via the free end of said first pipeline 81, then liquid water exiting from the outlet of said pumping means enters into said primary heating means 4 via said second pipeline 82. Water steam with temperature around 100° C. is produced after heating by the heating tube 3 inside the primary heating means, and the water steam with the atmospheric pressure enters into the secondary heating means 6 via the third pipeline 83. The heating tube 5 inside the secondary heating means 6 further heats the water steam, so that the temperature of the water steam increases rapidly and its volume expands quickly. The resulting high-temperature water steam passes through the fourth pipeline 84, and it is released from the steam nozzle 7. The temperature of the high-temperature steam may be from 100° C. to 350° C. according to desire, so as to ensure the clean effect of the steam cleaner. 

1. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means, comprising a housing, a water tank with an inlet, a flow channel for liquid or gaseous water including a first pipeline, a second pipeline, a third pipeline and a fourth pipeline, a water pumping means, a primary heating means, a secondary heating means and a steam nozzle; wherein the free end of said first pipeline extends into said water tank, the other end of said first pipeline connects to the intake of said pumping means, cold water contained in said water tank enters into said pumping means via said free end of said first pipeline; wherein the outlet of said pumping means connects to the intake of said primary heating means via said second pipeline, said primary heating means can heat water and generate steam with temperature from 95° to 100° C.; wherein the outlet of said primary heating means connects to the intake of said secondary heating means via said third pipeline, said secondary heating means can further heat the steam with temperature from 95° C. to 100° C. produced by said primary heating means, and produce high-temperature steam over 100° C.; and wherein the outlet of said secondary heating means connects to the intake of said steam nozzle via said fourth pipeline, the steam produced is ejected from said steam nozzle.
 2. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 1, wherein all of said water tank, first pipeline, second pipeline, third pipeline and fourth pipeline, pumping means, primary heating means, secondary heating means and steam nozzle are disposed inside said housing.
 3. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 1, wherein said primary heating means or secondary heating means is one of a tubular heater, a boiler, electrical beating film or a semi-conductor heater.
 4. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 1, wherein said pumping means is an electromagnetic pump.
 5. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 1, wherein said steam cleaner is either a hand-held dust collector or standing dust collector.
 6. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 5, wherein said secondary heating means is disposed in adjacent to a suction nozzle of said dust collector.
 7. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 2, wherein said primary heating means or secondary heating means is one of a tubular heater, a boiler, electrical heating film or a semi-conductor heater.
 8. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 2, wherein said pumping means is an electromagnetic pump.
 9. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 2, wherein said steam cleaner is either a hand-held dust collector or standing dust collector.
 10. A steam cleaner with a secondary heating means according to claim 9, wherein said secondary heating means is disposed in adjacent to a suction nozzle of said dust collector. 